Bottle carrier



y 22, 1952 H. z. GRAY 2,604,354

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Sept. 11, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET l iii/WW l2 "HIM;

H. Z. GRAY BOTTLE CARRIER July 22,1952

Filed Sept. 11, 1

2 'SHEETSSHEET 2 L mentor flA/wyzm Y A? (3t omegii Patented July 22, 1952 Harry Z. Gray, Lebanon, Ohio Application September 11, 1948, Serial No. 48,789

This invention relates to bottle carriers, and in particular to carriers of the type which are designed to engage bottle necks for the principal support of the bottles.

In my prior Patent No. 2,187,494 is shown a:. carrier of this type which has a central, handle portion and two flaps extending therefrom, each having a double layer and staggered openings'in the layers whereby the openings function as bottle-neck grippers as the flaps are manipulated: in dihedral angular motion. 7

The present invention employing only a single set of flaps, operating in the manner of the covers of a book, achieves easier manipulation without sacrifice to security and reduces manufacturing costs both in respect to time and material.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a bottle carrier simplified in form and function and which results in reduced manufacturing costs. More particularly, it is an object: to provide a bottle carrier which combines in a single set of flaps the bottle-gripping features and a handling element.

These and other ends which will in part be apparent and in part made manifest as the description proceeds are realized by the invention, preferred forms of which are described in the accompanying specification and illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of one form of carrier in folded, bottle-gripping position, and with a complement of bottles indicated in phantom,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier of Fig. l

somewhat enlarged and in open position,

Fig. o is a partial plan View of the carrier Fig. 2 in folded condition,

, Fig. 4 is a' section taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 3,

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are views similar to Figs." 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively showing a modified carrierQand Fig. 9 is a view in perspective showing the manner of initiating disengagement of the carrier from a group of bottles.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown in Fig. 2 a set of flaps I0, I! united along an edge I2 which is scored as at I3 to facilitate folding of the flaps into faceto-face contact. A pair of identical, tapered ends I5, I6 are provided with openings I "I, I8 which are superimposed in the folded condition of the carrier and which accommodate the fingers of a user for carrying purposes.

The main body portions of the flaps are provided with openings preferably in an orderly ar rangement of columns and rows. In flaps I I these comprise a. semicircular boundary 2!! and a flatbottomed U-shaped boundary 2|, wider than the diameter and deeper than the radius of boundary 9 Claims. (Cl. 294-872) Flap It! is provided with openings having nearly semicircular boundaries 22 which, in the folded condition of the carrier mate with bound- .aries 2b to define a complete circular opening of a size to fit around the neck of a bottle in an engagement which will not pass the usual annular collar 25 provided on bottle necks. The opposite boundary 23 of the openings in flap I8 is eccentric to and of larger diameter than opening 22, and is of sufiicient size to pass collar 25 of a bottle without forcing.

In use, a set of bottles is lined up in the general pattern of the openings in the flap, if not already so lined up on a shelf or in a box, and openings 23 are passed down over the bottle necks beyond collar 25. Flap II is then folded down onto flap I0, openings 2! clearing collars 25 in their swinging movement. These two movements complete the necessary manipulation and the carrier and contents are ready to be picked up by the handle I5, I6. To remove the carrier it is only necessary to reverse the steps, unfolding flap I I and then lifting flap It. By providing a, folding carrier with a hinge at an edge, I have succeeded in reducing the curvature of the swing of the openings adjacent the free edges which enables a reduction in dimensions of the collar-clearing opening. The unreduced curvature of swing for the openings adjacent the hinge is compensated by the increased leverage alforded by the flap.

In the opening movement of the flap it has been found expedient to initiate the same by action at the handle portions of the flaps. In this way, action is initiated at the outer opening which is nearest the handle and the balance of the outer openings are disengaged from the bottle neck in rapid succession, thus providing economies in the opening effort.

Another very important feature of the carrier of this invention is that it enables the provision of a hand grip having its long dimension parallel to the long dimensions of the bottle-receiving openings. This arrangement ensures that the stresses on the carrier openings incident to relative tilt of bottles and carrier will occur on a diameter having solid backing by both flaps and not subject to any displacements of the carrier layers and attendant increase in the effective size of an opening.

In order to ensure that the upper flap will not disengage automatically by any tendency to unfold when not held in the hand, I provide a lockscored lines 30, 3| aligned with the hand-grip openings ll, l8 respectively, to accommodate the natural angle which the carrier will assume in respect to the center of gravity of the complement of bottles.

In Figs. 5 to 8 is shown a carrier generally similar to the one just described, but modified for the purpose of carrying larger sizes of bottles, those of 24 ounce capacity for instance. In these. views the bottle-engaging openings are identical with those in Fig. 2 and are therefore indicated by the same reference numerals. These are four in number and arranged in a square pattern in flaps 30, 31. The hand opening is arranged centrally of the carrier in alignable openings 32, 33. The flaps are integral along an edge, foldable by means of a score line 34. A locking tab 36' is engageable in a slot 31. This carrier may have an extra layer 38 on the bottom flap for reinforcement. It will be noted that in this modification, also, the handle is also aligned with the long dimensions of the small openings. While the slanting is not as acute where the handle is centrally of the carrier, nevertheless the slanting tendency is present.

One of the features which distinguish the invention from known carriers is the provision of the handle within the flap portion. This not only permits a compact organization with reduced manufacturing costs, but also facilitates the process of opening the flaps to release a set of bottles. since the region of application of the opening force is always ready to hand at the end of a carrying operation and does not involve depositing the package and shifting the fingers to another point to open. Furthermore the high leverage resident in the flaps coupled with the single thickness at the hinge ensures the maintenance of disengagement after it is effected.

While certain preferred embodiments have been shown, the invention is not liimted thereby, but only as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, a series of openings in each flap, each opening being elongate in a direction transverse to the said common edge, and the openings in one fiap alignable in part with, but being staggered with respect to the openings in the other flap in said direction, in the folded condition of the. flaps, and openings in the said flaps, aligned in the: folded position of the flaps to providea manual. carrying means.

2. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a, common edge for folding one flap upon the other, a series of openings in each flap arranged in plurality, both in a direction transverse to the said common edge and in a direction parallel to the said common edge, each opening being elongate in a direction transverse to said common edge, and the openings in one flap being alignable in part with but being staggered in the folded condition of the flaps,

- with respect to the openings. in the other flap in the direction transverse to the. said common edge, and openings in the said flaps, aligned in the folded position of the flaps to provide a manual carrying means.

3. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to lock around the necks of bottles, and openings in the respective said flaps aligned in the folded position of the flaps and dimensioned to receive the hand of a user for carrying purposes.

4. A carrier for bottles comprising. a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to lock around the necks of bottles, and openings in the respective said flaps aligned in the folded position of the flaps and being elongate to receive the fingers of a user, the elongate direction of said latter openings extending transversely to said common edge.

5. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to look around the necks of bottles, and openings in the respective said fiaps aligned in the folded position of the flaps and being elongate to receive the fingers of a user, the elongate direction of said latter openings extending transversely to said common edge and being adjacent a pair of edges of said flaps, transverse to said common edge.

6. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to look around the necks of bottles, and openings in the respective said flaps, aligned in the folded position of the flaps and adapted to receive the fingers of a user for handling purposes, said latter openings lying intermediate the first mentioned openings.

7. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to lock around the necks of bottles, and elongate openings in the said flaps, aligned in the folded position of the flaps to accommodate the fingers of a user, said. last-mentioned openings lying intermediate the first-mentioned openings and having their long dimension transverse to the said common edge. I

8. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of planiform flaps united in a common edge for folding one flap upon the other, openings in the flaps alignable upon folding thereof to look around the necks of bottles, openings in the respective said flaps aligned in the folded position of the flaps to receive the fingers of a user, and means to releasably lock the flaps in folded position.

9. A carrier for bottles comprising a pair of folding flaps, openings in the flaps to lock around the necks of bottles, and openings in the said flaps defining a handle located adjacent to edges of the flaps transverse to the line of fold.

HARRY Z. GRAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of'this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name v Date 2,252,235 Snelling Aug. 12, 1941 2,299,625 Holmes Oct. 20, 1942 2,397,716 Wendler Apr. 2, 1946 2,426,750 Reutner Sept. 2, 1947 2,426,756 Ulrich Sept. 2, 1947 2,442,636 Bertram June 1, 1948 

